NRA afraid of gun violence statistics

 

Where do you go to find out what states have the highest proportion of gun ownership?  Or whether gun ownership correlates with homicide rates in a city?  How many guns used in homicides were bought legally?  Where juveniles involved in gun fatalities got their weapons?  What factors contribute to mass shootings like the Newtown, Conn., one that killed 26 people at a school?  You wouldn’t go anywhere because the data isn’t available thanks to Wayne LaPierre and the National Rifle Assn. (NRA).  They made sure in a 1996 law that stopped gun control research in its tracks.

 

The Associated Press reports that although almost as many Americans die from gun violence as car crashes each year, nothing is done to analyze the former, but the latter has been studied thoroughly, significantly bringing down the number of car crashes even when the number of cars on the road goes up.  Here’s an anomaly to illustrate the absurdity of this situation:

 

"If an airplane crashed today with 20 children and 6 adults there would be a full-scale investigation of the causes and it would be linked to previous research," said Dr. Stephen Hargarten, director of the Injury Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

 

This is all true because of a law that wacky Wayne LaPierre and his bunch of gun nuts pushed through Congress in 1996 following a study a few years earlier showing that “people who lived in homes with firearms were more likely to be homicide or suicide victims.”  Following this no government agency dared to do anything on the subject for fear of losing their grant money.  Sixteen years later, we have no real concept of exactly what is causing gun violence.  Except the one thing we know is that gun violence is caused by guns. 

 

What we need is a “black box” like airliners and newer model cars.

 

Let me give you an idea why the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) doesn’t want this research.  MSN did an article on state gun regulations with the following results:

 

• Only six states require mandatory background checks on all purchases at gun shows.  They are Oregon, California, Colorado, Illinois, New York and Connecticut.
• Only seven states require mandatory background checks on assault weapons.  They are California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
• Only seven states have restrictions on high-capacity magazines.  They are Hawaii, California, New Mexico, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

 

When you combine all of the states included in the non-requirements, it adds up to humongous sales for gun manufacturers, and that is why the NRA is in business; to make sure these companies sell more and more guns, more and more ammunition, and more and more gun accessories like high-capacity magazines.  And for their efforts, the NRA receives millions in donations from these gun companies each year.  Since 2005, those donations have totaled just under $39 million. 

 

The NRA can’t survive without this money and gun companies cannot survive if we learn the morbid statistics on gun violence.

 

Private funding for gun control research has been a paltry amount when compared to potential federal grants.  When you Google “private research grants for gun control,” you get some general stuff but nothing specific to gun control.  One of the most topics that did show up is the question of whether or not Obama’s executive orders would get gun control research going.  Unfortunately, the money required to fund this research requires an act of Congress and we all know there are enough yellow bellied NRA butt-kissers to stop that.  Unless…???

 

Death threats against NRA Pres. David Keene no way to solve gun control issue

I don’t know who is perpetrating these death threats against David Keene, the Pres. Of the National Rifle Assn. (NRA), but I wouldn’t doubt at all that it includes some typical NRA gun nuts trying to make the gun control advocates look bad.  I say this because wacky Wayne LaPierre and his gang of gun huggers are bigger liars than Karl Rove was in the George W. Bush administration.  With the NRA, as was regularly with Karl Rove, they would lie when the truth is better.  For years LaPierre has led the American public down a path of deceit over gun rights. 

Daffy David Keene




 

And daffy David Keene is no different.  Maybe the threats against his children will make him think about the completely irresponsible ads the NRA is running using Pres. Obama’s children.  This fruitcake went so far as to even deny the ad was about Obama’s children when it is clear that is the focus of the message.  I would provide a link but take my word, it is complete garbage.  Is it any wonder that bottom-feeders like Keene and LaPierre are taking flak for being responsible for mass killings like Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Aurora Theatre and others because of their support of loose gun laws?

And they are completely oblivious to a gun culture that places protecting their precious guns over human life.  Like 20 innocent children in Newtown, CT.  Or, are they both out-dumbing all of us.  LaPierre is obviously in it for the money and power; his (salary $970,300) and gun manufacturer’s increased profits, plus he is idolized by the gun worshippers.  Keene is just another conservative political hack trying to add more fire power to his resume.  Their obvious attention to weapons manufacturer’s bottom lines by promoting guns in everyone’s hands to carry anywhere is disgusting and obscene. 

NRA "reprehensible" ad using Obama's children:

And neither of these radicals represents the 4.2 million membership of the NRA.  I did a post in July of 2012 with the following facts:

 

• 74 percent believe permits should only be granted to applicants who have completed gun safety training. 
• 68 percent believe permits should only be granted to applicants who do not have prior arrests for domestic violence. 
• 63 percent believe permits should only be granted to applicants 21 years of age or older.
• 74 percent support requiring criminal background checks of anyone purchasing a gun.
• 79 percent support requiring gun retailers to perform background checks on all employees – a measure recently endorsed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry.
• NRA members strongly support allowing states to set basic eligibility requirements for people who want to carry concealed, loaded guns in public places. By contrast, the NRA leadership’s top federal legislative priority – national reciprocity for concealed carry permits – would effectively eliminate these requirements by forcing every state to allow non-residents to carry concealed guns even if they would not qualify for a local permit.

Both LaPierre and Keene continue to push for absolute 2nd Amendment rights in a situation that has been screaming for negotiations on the gun control issue for years.  They know that once the damn is broken—and that is now beginning to happen—they will have lost their clout with the gun manufacturers meaning millions in donations every year.  (Since 2005, according to the Violence Policy Center, gun manufacturers contributed around $39 million to the NRA)  LaPierre loses his cushy job and Keene loses his position of political play-maker.  And 4.2 million NRA members are left out in the cold.

 

Finally, as usual, Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie put the radical conservatives of his party in their place.  He called the NRA ad using Obama’s children “reprehensible” and claims that the group has now lost even more credibility in the eyes of the American public.  Christie continued saying that “such a move demeans them,” commenting, "It makes them less of a valid, trusted source of information on the real issues that confront this debate.”  In other word, you can no longer believe what the NRA’s wacky Wayne LaPierre spews out of his propaganda mill.  Frankly, I never did.

 

 

 

 

 

Georgia home invasion mom proves need for firearms training for gun owners

First of all, Donnie Herman’s wife, Melinda, deserves praise for the courage she displayed in protecting her two children from an intruder with her husband’s .38 revolver.  Herman talked his wife through the incident while also talking to a 911 operator.  The intruder had a crowbar and was breaking through doors in the house obviously planning to do harm to anyone he encountered.  Until two weeks prior, Melinda had never fired a gun when Donnie took her shooting because he thought she should be familiar with the family’s gun.  “If he opens up the door, you shoot him!  You understand?  Donnie said.

The only way to safely own a gun

Well she emptied the six-shot revolver hitting the guy with five rounds in the torso and face, missing with one.  Well, the guy was not only able to get up, he actually got in his SUV and drove off, crashing just a short distance away.  The gun rights bunch says she needed a weapon capable of firing more rounds.  I say Melinda, and Donnie should have been required to go through strenuous firearms training just to have the .38 in the house.  If she couldn’t bring him down with five shots hitting him in the face and torso, allowing him to escape, she may never have brought him down.

I can’t drive my car without a license that I can get only if I have had sufficient training to properly operate the vehicle.  It is beyond me how they can allow an individual to own a gun without the necessary training to use it.  I did a post back in May, “Gun deaths versus car crash fatalities…who wins?” revealing from a report that gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths in 10 states.  A car is designed to provide transportation from one place to another.  A gun is designed to kill.  The Hermans have two guns in their home but it isn’t clear whether that is a benefit or an obstacle to their safety.

The CNN article on this issue states, "It's more common for an armed homeowner in the United States to be a victim of suicide, homicide, assault or an accidental shooting than it is for that person to shoot an intruder," according to Dr. Arthur Kellermann, a senior health policy analyst at Rand Corporation, a non-partisan think tank.  And many experts agree, contrary to being a protection to their safety, crowds of people rush out to purchase a gun but never properly learn how to use it.  The FBI conducted about 2.8 million checks for gun purchases this past December, a record high for a month.     

Wacky Wayne LaPierre’s National Rifle Assn. (NRA) strongly opposes requiring any firearms training connected to obtaining a concealed carry permit.  As an example, the NRA objected to a requirement of only four hours training for a concealed carry permit in Wisconsin.  There is no doubt why gun control advocates just shake their heads at this kind of ignorance and complete disregard for the rights of those who don’t want to die in gun violence.  Unfortunately, some of this group reacts with apathy and the attitude that it only happens to others, not them.

As far as I can determine, only 3 states require any firearms training in connection with owning a gun.  They are the District of Columbia, Maryland and Ohio.

ThinkProgress spoke with a number of NRA members at their St. Louis convention last April and found that many supported gun safety training to acquire a concealed carry permit.  I agree with this, although I think the CC permit itself should come with restrictions based on need.  But let’s be honest, wouldn’t it be a safer America if everyone who owns a gun was forced to learn how to use it?  Remember, there are 300 million firearms on the streets of the United States.  How many owners are trained on how to use them?  My guess is a very sparse number.

Would banning high capacity magazines and requiring universal background checks be a good start to stricter gun control?

Let’s consider this scenario.  If you limit the magazine size of a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle to 10 rounds (perhaps even 7 like the latest New York law requires) have you basically reduced the firearm to what many typical rifles are capable of shooting?  In checking an Outdoor Life recommendation of the best 2012 hunting rifles, I found the Ruger American Rifle with a 5-round capacity including a magazine.  I don’t know how typical or popular this rifle is with hunters but it seems to have received the recommendation of a major hunting magazine.

The American Hunter

I don’t think any gun control advocate out there favors taking away a hunter’s right to enjoy his sport, and anyway, assault rifles aren’t the biggest problem in gun violence, handguns are.  According to the FBI, in 2011, 6,220 people were killed by handguns, 323 by rifles.  But it was the sheer horror of the brutal killing of 20 children ages 6 and 7 by a shooter using his mother’s assault rifle with a 30-round magazine that has brought the gun control issue to the forefront.  The question is, would that Bushmaster AR-15 revert to the same capability as the Ruger reduced to a 10-round or less capacity?

Unfortunately, the universal background check would not have prevented Adam Lanza from killing these little children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but it could have prevented Jared Loughner from getting the weapon he used to kill 6 and injuring 13 in Tucson in Jan. of 2011, including former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords.  What must be done in parallel with requiring these background checks is to make the reporting of felons and the mentally ill to the appropriate databases mandatory by law enforcement and all states.  Common sense?  Yes, but one of the biggest shortfalls in maintaining gun control.

The New York Times reported, “All federally licensed firearms dealers are required to run background checks through the computerized databases that comprise the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NCIS).  But the requirement does not cover guns that are sold by unlicensed sellers at gun shows and in other private sales, which account for about 40 percent of gun purchases in the country.”  The  National Instant Criminal Background Check System reports 16,808,538 requests for firearm background checks in 2012 with 976,255 denials.

The latter means that 15,832,283 permits were issued in 2012, which also means that 6,332,913 gun purchases could have been made—based on the 40%--without background checks.  Even if a fraction of this figure resulted in guns ending up in the wrong hands, is it any wonder why guns deaths in the U.S. are so high?  According to a CNN article, the FBI says more than a million people failed background checks to buy guns in the last 14 years because of drug use or mental health issues.  Congressional approval is required for universal background checks but other moves need only executive actions.

Some of the President’s proposals are not given much chance of making it through a Republican House because of gun lobbyists, namely the National Rifle Assn. (NRA).  This organization claims to have added around 250,000 new members to its already 4.2 million.  An NRA spokesman says the numbers are those who are passionate about 2^nd Amendment rights, a claim that is really getting old.  What the NRA spokesperson didn’t say about that 250,000 is the fact that 74% of them support background checks.  The Frank Luntz poll of NRA members also found that 75% want more restrictions on concealed carry.

If the President gets better background checks plus a ban on high capacity magazines, we can wait until 2014 and a more progressive House and Senate to add more to the list.  Here’s my want list on gun control from an earlier January post:

1. Ban all assault or assault-type weapons

2. Ban all high-capacity magazines over 5 rounds

3. Close gun show loophole

4. Background checks for all gun purchases

5. Mandatory training for anyone owning a gun

6. Mandatory state reporting of the mentally ill

It’s like a Christmas list.  You just keep asking for what you want until you get it.  The NRA should be on notice that the gun control advocates won’t give up this time.

Tell you congressional representatives what you want done about gun control;  Senate here; House of Representatives here.

Walmart should set an example for gun control

Walmart is the largest retailer in the U.S. with 4,000 stores, almost half of which sell rifles, shotguns and ammunition.  But one-third of Walmart stores sell what they call “modern sporting rifles,” more commonly known as assault rifles.  The kind of weapon that killed 20 little children and 6 teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School last December.  The question that this retail giant must answer is whether profit is more important to them than human lives.

Walmart initially declined to meet with AG Eric Holder along with other gun retailers, but thought better about their decision and relented.  No doubt concerned about the public face this displays to Americans concerned about saving the lives of innocent victims like those at Newtown.  Whether or not this will convert into an attitude of cooperation with gun control advocates remains to be seen.  What is sure is the fact that a majority of the public now wants to see new stricter gun regulations and just may shop accordingly.

In 2006 when Walmart started concentrating on urban areas instead of the rural population, it replaced firearms with other sporting goods.  And then the 2009 recession hit with sales and profits taking a dive across the country.  Struggling, they decided to start selling guns again with advertising and promotion targeting rural areas again where the gun culture is definitely more prevalent.  It always seems to come down to the bottom line, even when it involves products designed to kill.

George Zornick in The Nation reports, “Gun sales are a key part of Walmart’s recent sales spike, and have shot up 76 percent over the past two years.”  So do they really want a ban on assault weapons?  But if Vice Pres. Joe Biden gets what he wants, the fact that Walmart is a certified gun retailer will require other independent sellers to go through the chain for their background checks.  In the end, some of these customers could simply change their business to Walmart.



Bushmaster AR-15

Zornick also reported that, in consideration of the Sandy Hook victims, Walmart had removed the Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle from its website, an obvious public relations ploy since all other assault weapons remained.  Freedom Group, who produces the weapon, said, if Walmart should reduce gun sales, it could adversely affect their bottom line since 13% of their sales came from the retailer.  However, the Bushmaster AR-15 did remain on store shelves.

What is pivotal in this issue is that Walmart could be the key factor in getting gun control legislation passed.  If the giant should take a reasonable position on gun control, it is very possible that other major firearms retailers like Cabela’s would follow their lead.  Opposingviews.com thinks that if Walmart, along with other major gun retailers, would “partner” with the White House, the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) would no longer be considered as representing the American public, leaving only gun manufacturers.

Unlike the sleazy gun stores, particularly the gun shows, both of which appeal only to gun worshippers, Walmart has a public image they must maintain and right now the American public has decided it has tired of gun violence due to the number of firearms on the street.  This is the fault of the gun lobby, most notable wacky Wayne LaPierre’s NRA, plus the Republicans and some Democrats in Congress.  Who will Walmart side with and just how aggressive will their action be?  Rationally minded folks are watching and if they don’t see what they like, many will react with their pocketbooks.

2 more surveys…2 more reasons for more strict gun control

As the President receives recommendations today from Vice President Joe Biden on how to curb gun violence by passing new firearms laws, the NRA promises a fight to the finish predicting an assault weapons ban won’t pass.  These fruitcakes still don’t understand the difference between their right to own guns and the public’s right to stay alive.  In fact, the NRA doesn’t care about the latter and has made that clear over the years blocking all firearms legislation.

All the recent polls point to the fact that Americans want action now in stopping the carnage by guns that has swept the nation.  How these facts escape Wayne LaPierre and his gang of gun nuts is beyond me.  Maybe they aren’t bright enough to understand the emergency of the situation.  Or maybe they just don’t care as indicated earlier.  In a recent CNN/ORC poll, it was found that 52% of the U.S. public wants major restrictions on the ownership of firearms.

In a new survey from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, it found that unintentional injuries were quite often caused by guns, and one of the reasons people in America die young more often than in other countries.  Further, “The prevalence of firearms in the United States looms large as an explanation for higher death rates from violence, suicidal impulses, and accidental shootings.”  The availability of guns is deadly in this country.

Continuing, the survey found the U.S. has the highest rate of firearms ownership among peer countries: 89 civilian-owned firearms for every 100 Americans and the US is home to about 35 to 50 per cent of the world's civilian-owned firearms.”  Possession of unlocked firearms in the home is one behavior blamed for the “excessive lethality of the violence.”  With 6 violent deaths per 100,000 population, the United States is far above 16 other countries in the study.

 Canada, Japan, Australia and much of Western Europe didn’t come anywhere close to the U.S.  The closest country was Finland with just over 2 violent deaths per year.  Most of these countries have very strict gun regulation laws that apparently work in decreasing firearms violence.  Homicide is the second leading cause of death in ages 15-24, and 52% of all suicides involve a firearm.  It would seem this country is determined to decrease the population using guns.

But yet another report has been issued that documents states with the most and least gun control.  California is best and, who else, Arizona is worst.  The Grand Canyon state is also the second deadliest in the U.S. with 15 gun deaths per 100,000 population.  As a resident of this state I can tell you that it takes literally nothing more than a warm body to buy a gun, and carry it anywhere in the state you want to, even in bars.  Pathetic.

Everyone is waiting for Joe Biden’s recommendations to President Obama that he will deliver today.  Many have said that the media will eventually tire of the gun control issue and move on to the economy full time.  I don’t think so and bloggers like myself and organizations like the Brady Campaign, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Mayors against Illegal Guns, States United to Prevent Gun Violence and others will all do their part to keep gun control in the forefront. 

With Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly’s new group, Americans for Responsible Solutions, the momentum has finally grown to proportions that can match and beat the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) at their own game.  Say goodbye to the NRA’s leader, wacky Wayne LaPierre.

Joe Biden talks with gun rights advocates...NRA gives typical hackneyed reaction

President Obama has now focused on getting new gun control regulations into law and has named Vice President Joe Biden to lead the cause.  Obama wants universal background checks, strengthen mental health checks, increase penalties for carrying guns near a school or giving them to minors and reinstate the assault weapons ban.  He also is in favor of a national database to track the sale of weapons.  Regulations that any sane American would favor.

Joe Biden has so far met with gun control advocates, gun rights advocates and select entertainment groups.  AG Eric Holder has also met with some gun retailers like Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Gander Mountain and Wal Mart.  You can see a full list here.  Biden stated, "There has got to be some common ground, to not solve every problem, but diminish the probability.  That's what this is all about. There are no conclusions I have reached."

After the meeting, the National Rifle Assn. (NRA), made its typically dumb statements:

"We were disappointed with how little this meeting had to do with keeping our children safe and how much it had to do with an agenda to attack the Second Amendment.  While claiming that no policy proposals would be 'prejudged,' this task force spent most of its time on proposed restrictions on lawful firearms owners—honest, taxpaying, hardworking Americans."

"We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen."

Vice President Joe Biden chairs group on gun violence:

On January 10, the NRA’s wacky Wayne LaPierre said the organization will use “real Americans” to prove their point, as if the country is solidly behind his gang of gun nuts.  This is where the Atlantic article exposes an NRA that does not have the backing of the American public, not even the 146 million gun owners.  NRA membership is 4.2 million which works out to only 2.9% of gun owners.  Even when membership costs only $25.00 to join with added perks.   

As far as all Americans are concerned, according to two surveys measuring households with guns, the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center says there are 32%; Gallup says 47%.  Based on these figures, the NRA doesn’t even represent a majority of Americans.  But somehow in the past this radical group of gun worshippers had convinced non-gun owners to support its cause.  That support has now crumbled with the reality of gun violence.

The Vice President will have a plan to curb gun violence in the hands of the President by tomorrow, and is now encouraging Obama to consider executive order.  The President has nothing to lose in his second administration, and could go down in history as having saved the United States from a firearms disaster.  With the help of the new, and very strong, voice in gun control, Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly, Obama should have all the fire power he needs.

The one thing in this issue that the gun rights bunch is right about, although it is obvious they dwell on this subject just so it will divert attention from gun control, is strengthening the mental health system to identify anyone who shouldn’t be allowed to own a gun.  States are lax, the govs are lax, and those reporting are lax in providing and disseminating the information that could have saved the lives of 20 little children and 6 educators in Newtown, CT.

Mental health is a part of Joe Biden’s plan and the President is solidly behind fixing the problem.  Altogether, there is enough of a force with good and reasonable ideas to solve the overall problem of America’s out of control gun violence.  But it will take new and stricter gun laws to accomplish this goal and Wayne LaPierre and his NRA will just have to get used to it.